Life-saving device.



.J. J. RBCTENWALD.

LIFE SAVING DEVIGE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1912 1,044,244, Patented Nov. 12,1912.

WBTNESSES INVENTOR WW Ila/Wu Jaw of? act 611a "aid I Wk/ W ATTORNEYS JOHN JAMES RECTENWALD, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

LIFE-SAVING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

Application filed June 28, 1912. Serial No. 706,427..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN JAMES RECTEN- WALD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Devices, of which the following is a specificatlon,

reference being had therein to the accom" panying drawing.

This invention relates to a life saving device especially designed for large ocean going vessels, although the invention is applicable to lake,-riv er, and sea boats.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a vessel with novel means for storing life saving boats in suflicient numbers to accommodate the capacity of the vessel, whereby should an accident happen to the vessel, the boats can be immediately placed in use to save the passengers and crew of the vessel.

Another object'of this invention is to furnish a vessel with life saving boats that can be expeditiously launched, the boats being arranged whereby they can be quickly loaded and lowered into the water.

A further object of this invention is to compactly arrange life boats in the hull of a vessel, thereby obviating the necessity of arranging the life boats on deck, exposing the same to the forces of nature, and occupying valuable space that could be utilized for other purposes. v

A still further object of this invention is to eliminate the use of davits for lowering life boats into water by providing novel runways or chutes down which life boats can be safely launched.

I attain the above objects by a mechanical construction that is durable, inexpensive to install, easy to manipulate and control, and highly efficient for the purposes for which it is intended. r

The invention will be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation. of the vessel equipped with the life saving devices in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 1s a cross sectional view of the vessel, illustrating diagrammatically a carrier employed for raising life saving boats into pOSItIOII'tO be launched, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the vessel, partly broken away and partly in section, illustrating my life saving device.

The reference numeral 1 denotes a vessel of the ocean going type and thehull of this vessel is provided with compartments 2 at such places throughout the length of the vessel where it may be convenient to launch life saving boats. The compartments 2 can be in the form of holes or hatch-ways and said compartments are of a sufficient size to accommodate a large number of life boats that are compactly arranged, as will hereinafter appear.

Arranged longitudinally in the bottom of each of the compartments 2 is a set of shafts 3 and mounted upon these shafts are sprocket wheels 4. Arranged upon the deck of the vessel are sets of hearings or u rights 5 for shafts 6 that have sprocket w eels 7 directly above the wheels 4 in the compartments 2. Passing over the sprocket wheels 4 and 7 are endless sprocket chains 8 and these sprocket chains support a plurality of super-imposed platforms 9 upon each of which can be located a plurality of life saving boats 10 as best shown in Fig. 3.

The elements 3 to 9 inclusive constitute a carrier for life'boats and any suitable means can be resorted to for intermittently moving the carrier, whereby the uppermost platforms 9 will be shifted to the deck of the vessel to permit of the life boats carried thereby being removed. After the life boats have been taken from the uppermost platform, the movement of the carrier can be continued and each platform successively unloaded.

The ordinary operating mechanism of the vessel can be used for operating the carriers of the life boats or special motors can be coupled onto the shaft 3 or 6, said motors obtaining their source of power from storage batteries that are entirely independent of the operating mechanism of the vessel. The sides of the vessel, adjacent to each of the compartments 2, are provided with inclined runways or slides 11 and closing the outer ends of said slides are hinged doors 12 that can be released to provide a prolongation of said slides, the drop doors 12 that can be released to provide a prolongation of said slides, said drop doors being of such length as to extend into the water. Any suitable means can be used for retaining the drop doors 12 in a closed position and associated with said doors are removable floor plates deck and permit of the deck being used just as though the slides 11 did not exist. In the space between the slides 11, the drop doors 12 and the floor plates 13 ,can be stored such paraphernalia, as ropes, blocks and tackle, etc., as may be required for lowering the life boats into the water. It is in this connection, that any suitable machinery can be used for aiding and lowering the life boats, the slides 11 and the drop doors 12, and for shifting the life boats from the platforms 9 to the slides 11, rollers can be used or the life boats can be equipped with trucks whereby the life boats, loaded or unloaded, can be expeditiously handled when occasion demands.

To close the compartments 2 covers 14 can be employed, these covers being arranged whereby .they can be uickl removed. The covers are marke" or esignated to indicate the stat-ion of the life saving boats, whereby passengers canassist the crew of the vessel when the life saving boats must be gotten off on short notice. From the-foregoing it will be observed that the princi le of my invention involves the storing of life saving boats whereby they can be expeditiously launched.

, I do not care to limit my invention to the specific form of slide or run-way for launching the boat, to any particular type of carrier for the life boat, or to the location of the compartments 2 in the hull of the vessel. I. have simply illustrated, principally diagramatically, the broad ideaof my invention andI do not care to be limited to details other than appear in the appended claims. 7

What I claim is t- 1. In a life saving device, the combination with a hull, a vessel having a plurality of vertically disposed compartments, oppositely disposed inclined slides associated with each of the compartments, leadin to the sides of the compartments, arrange at the sides of the hull and inclining below the deck, of a pair of vertically disposed spaced carriers arranged in each of said compartments and projecting above the deck, a plurality of superimposed platforms supported by the carriers of each compartment, and a plurality of life saving boats arranged upon each of said platforms and adapted to be elevated out of said compartments by the carriers.

2. In a life saving device, the combination with a.hull, a vessel having a plurality of vertically dispos' d compartments, oppositely disposed inclined slides associated with each of the compartments, leading to the sides of the compartments, arranged at the sides of the hull and inclinin below the deck, of a pair of vertically disposed spaced carriers arranged in each of said compartments and projecting above the deck, a plurality of superim osed platforms supported by the carriers of each compartment, a plurality of life saving boats arranged upon each of said platforms and adapted to be elevated out of said compartments by the carriers, and covers for said compartments.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN JAMES REOTENWALD. Witnesses: MAX H. SRoLovrrz, K. H. BUTLER. 

